Area Priest Details Experience With Sex Abuse Allegations-Inquiry

July 21, 2008 — A Cornwall priest has spoken out about his personal experience involving child sex abuse allegations. Through pauses, Father Rejean Lebrun told the Cornwall Public Inquiry yesterday that it was a painful situation when his brother came to see him in 1970. Lebrun told the commission that he believes that another priest attempted to sexually touch his brother, who was 15 years old at time. Lebrun says he took his "courage in both hands" and went to a Monsignor with the allegation. According to Lebrun, the priest in question was not employed by the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall, and was told to leave the diocese where he worked, the next day. Lebrun would only say that the priest is now deceased.

Some Catholic Workers Were Afraid For Their Safety-Inquiry

July 21, 2008 — Rumours of child sex abuse allegations had some local Catholic Church workers afraid for their safety. Monsignor Rejean Lebrun spoke at the Cornwall Public Inquiry this morning about how the local diocesan centre became a victim of vandelism in the 1990's after rumours surfaced about child sex abuse in the area. Lebrun says the church could feel hostility and backlash. Lebrun says the church also faced verbal abuse, threats and graffiti. Through a translator, he says they felt under attack with this "hysteria". (Hear audio clip below) Some local priests have been accused of sexually abusing children in the area. At least one was convicted.

[Transcript of audio clip:    when we’d come into the rectory  in the evenings we’d never  get out of the car without having travelled around the perimeter of the parking lot with the lights illuminating the area see that we could see no one was hiding there]